The Life Starter
Sign up
All courses/Create

Course 298 · Create course 27

Arrange Chords and Bass for a Melody

Add triads, a bass line and deliberate voicing to an original eight-bar melody. Compare chord-tone fit, nonchord movement and semitone voice motion using a complete paper note grid or optional free notation software.

Before you start

Use paper/text/spreadsheet for the supplied original melody grid.

Compose and Notate a First Melody See everything you’ll need

Free download · Original practice data · No external account required. Download the starter pack

What you’ll leave with

An original eight-bar melody arrangement with triads, a checked bass part, two voice-leading choices and a score or note-grid plus optional free notation playback.

Start course Start without an account. Sign in to save lesson progress across devices.

Your project

Start with the practice files. Build your project one lesson at a time.

Practice files are free without an account. Sign in to save your project record in My Proof: a description, checklist, and optional work link. Keep the original files in your own app or notebook; saving a project record does not upload them.

  1. Get your materialsDownload practice filesSupplied practice cases, a blank working record, complete lesson instructions, and annotated worked examples.
  2. Make your projectView the project checklist Work in your own notebook, document, or software. Use the supplied practice examples when you prefer.
  3. Keep a private recordSave a project record Sign in to save a description and checklist, then return to update them.
Course handbook

Know the route before you begin.

Here’s what you’ll need and what you’ll make. You can return to this guide during any lesson.

Who this is for

Learners age 14 and older, including adults; no paid account, current job, customer or outside participant is required.

Prepare before lesson one
  • Use paper/text/spreadsheet for the supplied original melody grid.
  • Basic note names/durations from the existing melody course help.
  • An instrument and notation playback are optional; label them untested if unavailable.
Your final project

Finish with proof you can use.

An original eight-bar melody arrangement with triads, a checked bass part, two voice-leading choices and a score or note-grid plus optional free notation playback.

Save a project record in My Proof
See project checklist and review criteria

Keep your working files in your own notebook or software. Save a private description, checklist, and work link in My Proof.

What to include

  • Supply eight melody/chord/bass bars with explicit pitches, octaves and durations.
  • Construct major/minor triads and identify root/third/fifth.
  • Annotate strong-beat fit and intentional nonchord tones.
  • Compare two upper-voice options with movement/common-tone evidence.
  • Provide 100 word choice note and honest playback/export method.

Review and revise

Use these criteria to check your work and choose what to improve.

  • Harmony: triads/membership are correctly identified.
  • Parts: bass/register/duration are reproducible.
  • Comparison: alternatives have exact note evidence.
  • Scope: stylistic judgments and unperformed playback remain distinct.
Three ideas to help you along the way
Three useful ideas

The rules behind the steps.

01

Root is not always bass

Chord identity and lowest sounding pitch can differ.

02

Tension can be intentional

Explain a nonchord note in its line.

03

Voices move independently

Compare corresponding pitches, not only chord names.

What do these words mean?
Key words

Key terms worth knowing.

Triad
Three chord tones arranged as stacked thirds.
Root
The pitch from which a chord is constructed.
Inversion
A chord with a nonroot chord tone in the bass.
Nonchord tone
A melody pitch outside the current chord’s listed tones.
Voice leading
Movement of individual parts between harmonies.
Your route

6 lessons.
One useful project.

Work in order the first time. Each lesson makes something the next lesson can use.

  1. 1
    Up next

    Build major and minor triads

    Construct and label major/minor triads using roots and semitone intervals.

  2. 2
    19 min

    Match chords to a supplied melody

    Compare candidate triads with an original melody while distinguishing passing notes from automatic errors.

  3. 3
    24 min

    Choose a coherent chord sequence

    Build and explain an eight-bar harmonic sequence against the supplied melody.

  4. 4
    24 min

    Add a bass that states the harmony

    Write a bass part in a lower register and check bar durations independently.

  5. 5
    24 min

    Reduce unnecessary voice movement

    Compare two chord voicings by common tones and semitone movement.

  6. 6
    29 min

    Compare two arrangements and document choices

    Deliver a reproducible eight-bar melody/chord/bass arrangement with a tested alternative.

Use the tools

Tools to help you practice.

See all tools
ZIP · practice files

Arrange Chords and Bass for a Melody practice files

Supplied practice cases, a blank working record, complete lesson instructions, and annotated worked examples.

Text worksheet

Your course project worksheet

A downloadable text worksheet with each lesson’s working output, space for your answers, and the shared final-project checklist. Save your own copy.

Source transparency

Sources and further study.

Explore the references behind the lessons and take your learning further. Source notes explain access and reuse.

MuseScore official handbook: Multiple Voices
Source & access notes · checked 2026-10-01

Read independent musical lines and opposing-stem notation; playback/native editor is optional and not falsely reported tested.

Access: Public page text or PDF was opened and read through the web reader on 2026-10-01; no signup required for reading.

Reuse: Linked for further study. All LifeStarter scenarios, samples, assets and assessments are original; no source exercises or artwork are copied.

University of Puget Sound: Introduction to Triads
Source & access notes · checked 2026-10-01

Read institutional primary teaching text on stacked thirds, root/third/fifth and triad qualities; all melodies/chord grids here original.

Access: Public page text or PDF was opened and read through the web reader on 2026-10-01; no signup required for reading.

Reuse: Linked for further study. All LifeStarter scenarios, samples, assets and assessments are original; no source exercises or artwork are copied.

University of Puget Sound: Voice Leading
Source & access notes · checked 2026-10-01

Read economy of melodic motion, parts and piano-style voicing; course is a bounded triad study, not complete chorale-rule mastery.

Access: Public page text or PDF was opened and read through the web reader on 2026-10-01; no signup required for reading.

Reuse: Linked for further study. All LifeStarter scenarios, samples, assets and assessments are original; no source exercises or artwork are copied.

Ready when you are

Start with the first useful move.

You’ll always know what to do, what to make, and where to go next.

Start lesson one